By: Jasmine Pelzer, Marketing and Design Student
On Friday, Sept. 20, my Principles of Marketing Instructor, Mark Buchanan, took my class on a rather unusual field trip. He took us to Bad Habit Brewing Company in Saint Joseph, MN.
You might be thinking… What does beer have to do with marketing? Trust me, we were wondering the same thing when he told us, but I was nothing short of blown away when I left that afternoon.
The guys at Bad Habit told us the story of how they went from making beer in their basements to opening a small-town business in 2015. It was motivating to see the things we have been learning in class being implemented in the real world. Better yet, right in my hometown.
Co-owner, Aaron Rieland, stressed the importance of social media marketing to us: “Social media is an incredible tool. When we create a new beer, we try to promote it heavily on Facebook to get people in the door.”
What was really impressive to learn as a marketing student was that they didn’t pay anything for advertising. Between social media and word of mouth, Bad Habit has grown their business enough that they moved to their new building in May of 2019.
Their in-house graphic designer, Mo Philippi, even brought out his laptop and showed us a few different past designs. “I like typography, so it’s a good fit for me,” he said about his role at Bad Habit. Each beer has its own font and look. As a Marketing and Design student, it was exciting to see such creative artwork done in the software programs I am now familiar with.
Learning about Bad Habit’s marketing practices was a great way to see how what I’m learning in class applies in the real world and what to expect when I graduate. And spending the afternoon at a local brewery wasn’t too bad either!
